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How To: Keep Up In A Jazz Conversation


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I'l try and read this later once I forget that he says

Avoid discussing crossover jazz vocalists like Armstrong and Fitzgerald.

Has anyone here ever heard Armstrong or Ella criticized for crossover appeal? Even if it happened back in the day, it never happens now which is the whole point of the article - how to keep up in a jazz conversation today.

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they're not criticized - but i would agree with the writer, that you will always recognize someone who praises Mingus as a Jazz fan - with someone who praises Armstrong you don't know - that could be anyone... so if you want to show that you're an insider, it's better to talk about Mingus...

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I'l try and read this later once I forget that he says

Avoid discussing crossover jazz vocalists like Armstrong and Fitzgerald.

Has anyone here ever heard Armstrong or Ella criticized for crossover appeal? Even if it happened back in the day, it never happens now which is the whole point of the article - how to keep up in a jazz conversation today.

What would you think if the examples were, say, Diana Krall and Norah Jones? I'd consider both on the "pop" side of the crossover spectrum, though both are assigned (by some people, not me) jazz cred.

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I'd say you definitely want to avoid Norah and Diana to keep jazz cred in a conversation - if you're faking it. Avoiding Ella and Louis because of some perception of cross-over appeal is ludicrous. We're talking about two of the greatest singers of the 20th century and the vast majority of their music was without question jazz.

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The best way to keep up is to let the other person think they know more than you do. If they really do, hey, you won't blow it. If they really don't, you can give 'em enough rope to hang themselves if they're assholes, or else enjoy a light conversation with a nice person who doesn't know as much about the subject as you do.

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It's disingenuous to converse about jazz without any actual interest in jazz. Who does that?

I'm psyched when I run into another jazz fan, and the conversation is rarely about anything other than which recordings we love, which years we love, lists of names, etc. Who cares if Miles was an asshole or not? His discography is incredible.

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I first heard the term "modern creative" in the old allmusic guide (where it is used extensively). Even there, the classification is managed nebulously. It has something to do with post-free jazz, IIRC, although who managed to get categorized under the free jazz banner, fusion, modern creative, etc. was often confusing and kind of random.

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After reading this I bet he couldn't keep up. Wow, did he embarrass himself. I jumped ship when his 'lesson' referred to Charlie Parker as a 'bebop innovator of the '30s'.

'Nuff said...

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  • 2 weeks later...

After reading this I bet he couldn't keep up. Wow, did he embarrass himself. I jumped ship when his 'lesson' referred to Charlie Parker as a 'bebop innovator of the '30s'.

'Nuff said...

As well as misspelling Diz's first name. Also, I think he's wrong on the reason for Trane's death, but I have to look this up, as I don't remember exactly. Maybe I shouldn't feel worthy to talk about Trane and I might just sip my dry Martini instead. :rolleyes:

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